‘Star Wars’ and ‘Doctor Who’ Brawl Breaks Out at Sci-Fi Convention

When one thinks of a sci-fi convention brawl, one conjures up images of Trekkies squaring off against guys dressed like Stormtroopers.

But what if the battle went down across the pond in Great Britain?

A sci-fi convention at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England featured enough geek-on-geek violence that the police got involved. And in a nod to the island nation's own homegrown sci-fi series, the fight was between 'Star Wars' fanatics and 'Dr. Who' fans.

While we would've liked to think the groups were squabbling over the merits of Time Lords vs Jedis, the truth is a lot more boring.

Instead the incident stems from a 14-year dispute between the Norwich Sci-Fi Club, which favors 'Dr. Who,' and the Norwich Star Wars Club. Like many long running feuds it's not entirely clear what started it, but it seems both groups believe the other rides off of their coattails (or Jedi robes) when it comes to planning and executing conventions.

The exchange that triggered the call to the cops, and included costumed combatants, started when Norwich Sci-Fi club treasurer Jim Pool arrived at the convention and was promptly asked to leave by Star Wars Club members.

After reviewing the CCTV, the cops concluded that no actual punches were thrown. (These are sci-fi geeks after all. It's safe to say they don't know how to throw a punch.) So they left with only a series of warnings. "The two rival groups were spoken to and advised to keep out of the way of each other," said a police spokesperson.

'Star Wars: Episode VII' will soon film in England and we can only hope the feuding intergalactic fan clubs can settle their differences before then.